Episcopal Diocese of Spokane

The Episcopal Diocese of Spokane is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in eastern Washington and North Idaho, United States. Its office and cathedral seat are in Spokane, Washington. The current Bishop is the Right Reverend James Waggoner, Jr.

The Diocese of Spokane started as a missionary district in the mid-1860s. One of the earliest missionary priests, the Rev. Lemuel H. Wells, established twenty-three missions in the late 19th century and became the first Bishop of Spokane in 1892.

From the 1890s to 1902, Rev. Henry Irving - often known as "Father Pat" - was licensed in both the Diocese of Kootenay and the Diocese of Spokane - the two dioceses meet at the border between British Columbia and the Washington state.cite book |last=Grove |first=Lyndon |authorlink= |coauthors= |editor= |others= |title=Pacific Pilgrims |origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= |format= |accessdate= |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition= |series= |date= |year=1957 |month= |publisher=Centennial Committee of the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster |location= Vancouver|language= |isbn= |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages= |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= ] As Father Pat told his friends, he was:

The early part of the 20th century saw the growth of Christian education programs. This included the establishment of a summer camp for youth on Lake Coeur d'Alene in northern Idaho. Named after Bishop Edward M. Cross, Camp Cross was one of the first camps in the area; it started out as a summer school in 1922 on Lake Chelan before its current property on Lake Coeur d'Alene was donated by Bishop Page. Camp Cross has become a camp and conference center serving the needs of young and old alike.

By the mid 20th century, the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Spokane was begun and completed. A striking example of American neo-gothic architecture, the Cathedral dominates the southern skyline of Spokane as it sits high upon a hill overlooking downtown.

The late 20th century saw the establishment of a diocesan housing corporation to bring more housing for the elderly throughout the diocese, as well as the expansion and strengthening of local ministries.

The territory of the present-day Diocese of Spokane has forty-two congregations and encompasses all of Washington east of the Cascades and the northern Idaho panhandle.

References

External links

* [http://www.spokanediocese.org The Episcopal Diocese of Spokane website]